Right. That description doesn't exactly flow. There is something of a stylistic inconsistency, but here's hoping that doesn't take away from the fact that it's a genuinely pleasant home with a nice, open family layout.

In the principal, first-floor living areas, light and space abound, the wide-plank oak wood floors giving the house a very earthy, real feel. Exposed wood beams add to an older-world aesthetic. The prominent, remodeled kitchen boasts white cabinetry, crown molding and sharp, Carrara marble counterops – a nice, 21st-century look, if a bit of a break from the rest of the style. (FWIW "Carrara" is a town in Italy where the marble comes from, if you see "Carrera" describing marble, it's a mistake. That's a Porsche.)

You've got a bonus bedroom on the first floor, which has pocket-door access to a bath – a quasi-suite, if you will. Upstairs, we found 3br, plus a small kids' living room with built-ins for TV and books, potentially sealed off by pocket doors. That one could qualify as a legal 5th br with a true closet, but we liked it how it is. The other 2 kids' rooms upstairs share a jack-and-jill bath. The master is modestly sized but has a very nice bath.

You won't find a yard on this little 2675 sq. ft. lot, which abuts the baseball field at Live Oak Park. (Dorsey Field, to be specific.) But there is a dog run along the side, and there's no neighbor to the immediate west. Little-known "Manor Drive" – an alley among local houses – becomes a walking path right next to 510 21st, connecting neighbors to the park. Mainly, that means more light on the western side of this home.

510 21st was custom built in 2004 and has 2 recent trades:

April 2007: $2.200m

Dec. 2011: $2.101m

Yes, that last sale is just 11 months ago. There's a job transfer involved, so they're moving on.

This time, 510 21st starts at $2.249m, and it is open Sun. 2-4pm.

232/234 16th (5br/5ba, 4975 sq. ft.) sports a 1982 build date but was ahead of its time then; it's got the feel of a nicely updated 90s place now, and could probably be made even better with a modest remodel upstairs.

It's got all the things you want to see in a walkstreet home – a first-floor hangout room opening completely to the patio (via disappearing doors), center-floor bedrooms and a bright top floor with ocean views.

As you can see readily from the pic, this one does have a Highland liability. It's at the top of the 16th St. walkstreet and right along the town's busy north/south thoroughfare.

Not as apparent: Those ocean views are partly endangered. They're great now, with literally no neighbor to the west. But it's a construction site, and one presumes it will soon have a maxed-out neighbor impinging on views, though not at the very front or back.

The home looks to have been built as an SFR and could easily serve as such again, but is now set up as a (legal) duplex, whereby the bottom floor can be sealed off completely and serve as a 1br unit.

We should note something about the address. There's a little discrepancy. You'll see it on the MLS as 232 16th. As you walk up to the door, however, you'll see this nicely hand-painted sign announcing the address as 234. This has something to do with the duplex setup. Presumably each unit gets its own mail.

232 16th St. was listed in 2007 for $4.550m, and in 2008 for $4.3m, but never sold. It starts now at $3.395m – a million-dollar discount for those who waited – and is open Sat. only, 1-4pm.

1406 Manhattan Ave. (3br/3ba, 2275 sq. ft.) is a taut, sharp TH with notable ocean and pier views over the rooftops across Manhattan Ave. Location is right in the thick of downtown – walk to everything.

This one was presumed to sell quickly when it hit the market a month ago at $2.0m. Hey, everything's selling quickly, right? But no. They'll figure it out, though.

As we said in our first review, though it was built in 1998, it generally feels more modern, except maybe the kitchen. The 2 secondary bedrooms on the midlevel are compact – just enough – and even the master not huge. It's city living by the beach, with nice views.

There's a 2-car tandem garage and a covered space for 3 solid parking spaces, plus the spots behind each of those, making for – arguably – 5 spaces. A necessity downtown.

1406 Manhattan last sold in May 2007, a peak year, at $1.985m. It's back now (still) at $2.0m, and is open Sun. 1-3pm.

Tree Section

724 35th (3br/2ba, 1600 sq. ft.) is about to pass a month on market, maybe not so surprising given the time of year and the ambitious start price of $1.585m.

The home's a 1940s original with an unusually big, open great room at the front. High ceilings, wide spaces and a very nice, remodeled, large and open kitchen make for solid principal living spaces. But with 1600 sq. ft., there's no extra space and things could start to feel tight.

The style of the home inside now displays a love for woods – stained Douglas Fir doors, detailed carved-wood accents everywhere, the featured (and refinished) hardwood floors, built-ins. Even the backyard deck.

The home is on a street-to-alley lot. We're reminded of the quirky note in the listing: "if alleys had a national ranking, this would be top 5." It might be top 5, unless the alley lost 3 games.

This house has turned over frequently over the last 20 years. Its most recent sale posted in Dec. 2004 at $1.4m.

724 35th remains at $1.585m and is open Sun. 2-4pm.

3004 Oak: Listing pic now

3004 Oak (2br/1ba, 1125 sq. ft.) is a cottage in pretty much original condition that gets incredibly short shrift in the current listing.

The description says little more than "great potential" and "priced to sell," while the listing pic looks like a driveby cell phone shot. (And here we're talking Blackberry, not iPhone.)

This one's on the "wrong" side of Oak – backing up to commercial properties and Sepulveda. On the plus side, there is some rap that this last block of Oak before Ardmore/33rd is a quieter stretch.